Brittle Timber
by weirdo.cat
Summary: Deep, green eyes stared across the clearing, the rainy, depressed look causing silence among all. The eyes showed exhaustion and hatred towards life, as well as anger. So many things had happened that these furious eyes had seen that they no longer wanted to see. They were tired of seeing things in black and white. All they wanted to see was hopeless black.
1. Frozen Hope

A bone chilling wind battered the side of a young kit. He stayed silent out of fear while his dear sister and two brothers continued to mewl in terror. Warmth is what they wanted. They couldn't see, hear, or smell a thing as the torrent of wind scratched its claws against their fluff covered pelt, wailing in anger at the presence of the four kits in its territory.

The three siblings cried as loudly as they could, starvation and the icy storm slowly killing them. It felt as if it had been moons before the sound of an adult cat's voice could be picked out above the caterwauling noise. What they said couldn't be made out by the young, male kit, but he stayed quiet the entire time. His pelt prickled with anxiety at the sound of the adult cat growing closer, three other full grown cats trailing behind them. His siblings mewled louder, but the newly born kit stayed quiet. His pale brown-gray pelt quivered with fear as his deep brown face scrunched up at the faint, odd scent the four adult cats brought with them.

He could hear the whispers that pattered between the four cats, the cries of his siblings lowering at the sound of the adults being right in front of them, even though they couldn't see them through the yet to be opened eyes their youthful bodies held. It wasn't long before he felt his scruff being grabbed at by gentle jaws that carried sharp teeth inside. He stayed silent, terrified of antagonizing the cat. He heard his siblings go silent, possibly from also being picked up and carried somewhere.

The chill of the surrounding air was strengthened as he could feel the cat that was carrying him race across the land, causing chunks of freezing wind and frozen rain to tear into the young kits. It felt like ages, but at last, the cold seemed to have subsided. The wind was but a distant howl, and there was a scent of warm milk, other kits, and sickness. The four kits were set down, no longer mewing as they began to crawl towards the scent of a motherly cat. The young kit's gray and ginger brothers didn't move, but he and his sweet smelling, white pelted sister with patches of ginger stripes, crawled uneasily towards the soft purrs of the mother cat.

One of the four cats that had carried the four kits spoke up, their rough, female voice familiar and easier to understand. "Moonshine, my patrol and I found these four kits near the ShadowClan border. I was hoping you would feed them."

A gentler voice filled with exhaustion spoke up in reply as the two kits continued to crawl towards the radiating warmth. "I'll feed them, but. . . what happened to their mother?"

A sense of dread overwhelmed him and his sister. They stopped wiggling around, anticipation creeping in. They had never mentioned their mother, but they knew very well what had happened. The horrific screams of agony, is all they knew, that and the sounds and smells of what attacked her with no knowledge of what caused her death. It was a memory they wanted to forget but couldn't due to the shear horror of it. "I'm afraid I've no idea. Sweetcoat heard them crying out, half starved and frozen nearly to death." They could hear the cat begin to pad away, but then heard her speak again. "And thank you, Moonshine. I'll speak to Emptystar right away."

There was a long silence before Moonshine spoke up, urging the young kits towards her stomach to feed. "Come little ones. You need to eat to regain your strength." Though her gentle tone led the young male and his sister to feed, his two brothers continued to lay still and unmoving, the breathing harsh against the quiet.


	2. Quivering Excitement

It was soon morning, and he and his sister gave adorable little yawns after their pleasant slumber against Moonshine's warm pelt. They heard a cat pad nearer, curiosity growing inside the little male as a new scent enthralled his nostrils. A cool female's voice interjected his thoughts, new and powerful sounding yet gentle and understanding. "Hello Moonshine. How are the kits?"

"Two survived. I'm afraid the other two died in the night while we were asleep." Even though Moonshine was trying to keep quiet, the two surviving kits heard anyways. They didn't really feel upset about their deceased brothers, just disturbed and unsettled by the thought that they too might die.

"Well, I can at least tell you their names. The brown kit is named Timberkit, the white and ginger kit is named Stormkit." The sound of their new names sent a tingle of excitement down Timberkit's spine, curiosity welling up inside him. His sister gave a pleasant rumble in her throat, showing how pleased she was to know that they have a home now.

"Thank you, Emptystar. I will do my best to take care of them and raise them." Timberkit quivered his tiny little tail. He knew Emptystar was the leader of this group of cats, but he had no idea that she would already be greeting them to the group of wild cats. Emptystar could be heard leaving as Moonshine began to teach the two kits things about the clan and clan life.

That day, Timberkit attempted to absorb as much of the information he heard coming from his adopted mother relating to Clan life.

Afterwards, they noticed a stir in the air and smelled another young kit approaching. "Hi there. My name's Quiverkit. Sorry I never introduced myself before. I haven't been feeling well these past couple of days." He had a quiet tone, his tail beginning to quiver at the excitement of new kits in the clan.

Stormkit was the first to reply to the young kit. They had smelled him, but never saw him, considering they haven't opened their eyes yet. "What's wrong? Are you sick?"

"I've been coughing a lot lately. ThunderClan's medicine cat, Dappleheart, says I have White Cough, but I just saw him and he says I'm getting better."

"That's good." It wasn't long before the two started chatting, leaving Timberkit to curl up into a little ball of fluff next to Moonshine, falling into a deep, gentle sleep.


	3. Noble Patience

A few days passed by and Tmiberkit and Stormkit had managed to obtain much of the information they had learned about Clan life. They had also opened their eyes for the first time. Timberkit had deep green eyes that sparkled like the leaves during a gentle drizzle, and Stormkit's eyes were a ferocious blue, bright as a clear GreenLeaf sky, but sharp as the the fangs of a dog.

They noticed that Moonshine had a gentle blue-gray pelt with thick fur and a white chest and crescent moon like shape on her forehead. Her eyes were a stormy gray that seemed to produce the low, lulling rumble of thunder in the distance. Quiverkit was lying next to his birth mother, a similar colored pelt as his mother covered his skin, flecks of white spotting his pelt and a similar crescent moon shape on his forehead. He gave a sharp yawn, showing off his teeth that were beginning to grow sharp. His pale yellow eyes shown in the faint light of the Nursery, his kitten fluff beginning to grow thick and shiny.

Timberkit's sister spoke up, excitement shining in her newly opened eyes. "Wow. Everything's. . . amazing! I can't believe I never opened my eyes before."

Moonshine gave a purr of pleasure from Stormkit's eagerness at the newly found beauty. "Even if you knew about this wonderful world, you wouldn't have been able to open your eyes."

"Why not?" Stormkit looked quizzically at her adopted mother.

"Because, a kit has to gain strength and grow before they can open their eyes for the first time." Moonshine claimed gently. She had a sound of understanding in her tone, one that made her seem knowledgeable of everything. She then turned a worrisome glance towards Timberkit, her pelt slightly bristled with worry. "Are you alright Timberkit? You've hardly said a word since you arrived here in ThunderClan."

"Oh. I don't know. Something just doesn't. . . feel right." Timberkit had a faint scent of fear lingering around him bunched with a curiosity that he didn't understand. There was a tension in his stomach, making him feel no hunger and a pang of sickness welling up in his throat.

It was his sister to respond to what he had said, feelings of comfort coming from her understanding. "I know what you mean, brother. I've had this unnerving feeling ever since we came here. I thought I was the only one to feel it." Moonshine's worried look seemed to be strengthened by this. She got up and told the three kits to stay as she went to find Dappleheart.

Quiverkit began to lick his paws, clearly nervous about what was happening. He looked up at the two siblings, a hint of worry shining in his own eyes. He was clearly disturbed by the idea that they might be ill, but the two kits felt perfectly fine. While waiting, they began to play in the cool den. They were still eager and playful, but this didn't persuade Quiverkit from keeping his distance at the prospect of disease, especially since he had just gotten over WhiteCough.

Once Moonshine returned with Dappleheart, who came in calmly and steadily as if nothing were wrong, the medicine settled down so he could see face to face with the two siblings. Dappleheart spoke with a deep yet caring tone that would make any cat feel at home near him. "Now then, what is the problem little kits?"

Stormkit was the first to speak, talking about her and Timberkit's tight stomachs and unsettled feeling about ThunderClan. Once she said all this, Dappleheart asked Timberkit if he felt the same way, and the young brown kit nodded his fluffy little head, his forest like eyes glimmering with a hint of anxiety at the thought of sickness overcoming him and his sister.

Instead, the young medicine cat gave a gentle chuckle with an amused smile across his face. He turned towards the elegant Moonshine and spoke confidently. "There's nothing to worry about Moonshine. They're simply adjusting to their environment as well as Clan life. Though, I suggest you keep a close eye on them in case other symptoms pop up or if others get worse." Moonshine nodded with a slight sigh of relief and thanked Dappleheart as he left the Nursery to go back to the Medicine Den.

Quiverkit paced forward, a look of unease still on his growing kit face. "I. . . I'm sorry I stayed away from you. I didn't mean to be rude, I was just. . ." Before he could finish, Timberkit spoke what Quiverkit was trying to say. "You were just worried that we were sick. It's fine. After all, you just got over WhiteCough."

They both shared goofy little smiles of understanding as they began to tussle with one another on the ground, pawing at each other and play fighting. It felt like it hadn't been very long of this peaceful little play until the sun began to set and a yowl could be heard near the center of the Camp.

"What was that?" Stormkit asked quizzically, clearly unsure about what was happening. She and Timberkit looked outside to see the cats of the Clan gathering around a large stone known as High Rock. Moonshine nudged the little kits out of the den with Quiverkit pacing behind them. It wasn't long until Moonshine made the two kits sit down near the front of the group of cats as she and Quiverkit headed toward the base of rocks. Both Timberkit and Stormkit gave each other glances of intrigue as they watched what happened.

Emptystar, a deep, pure black pelted cat with thick fur, stood atop the boulder, staring down with gentle, orange eyes. Another cat, a female with a coppery lust to her fur and shimmering yellow eyes that glared like sunlight through a gathering of clouds. Then Timberkit understood what was happening; this was a Naming Ceremony for Quiverkit, allowing him to become an apprentice and train to be a mighty warrior some day. Timberkit's eyes grew wide with excitement about this new prospect, eager to see his den mate already becoming a noble apprentice.

Emptystar raised her narrow head, speaking in a loud, confident voice with her frozen tone lingering ever so gently amidst the chilly air of LeafBare. "Cats of ThunderClan, today is the Naming Ceremony of Quiverkit!" Trills of approval and excitement swarmed throughout the group of cats, making Stormkit's ears ache with the sounds. Emptystar lifted a paw, motioning for silence, and the surrounding cats fell quiet at her gesture.

"Quiverkit, you will now be known as Quiverpaw, and you will be mentored by my Deputy Shrillfang." Quiverpaw's face lit up with honor as the copper colored cat jumped down from High Rock in front of the newly named apprentice. "Shrillfang, your mentor Puddleclaw taught you the meaning of the Warrior Code well, and made you a loyal, honest warrior. I hope that you will pass on you're knowledge of this Clan and the Warrior Code to this new apprentice."

Shrillfang nodded, and the two cats bumped noses with one another, ending the Ceremony. Chants of Quiverpaw's new name rang throughout the Camp, pride swelling inside Quiverpaw's eyes as his tail and ears shivered with excitement. Timberkit and Stormkit ran up to their friend, eyes of excitement shining up at him while his mother stared down with a bit of sadness and pride for her birth son.

Stormkit was the first to respond to Quiverpaw's rise to apprenticeship. "Wow! I can't believe you're an apprentice already! We haven't known you but for a moon!" Quiverpaw nodded, an embarrassed, goofy smile crossing his face.

"Yeah. That's probably because I was already five moons old when you two arrived. You still have about five moons left before you can become apprentices yourselves." A mournful look spread across the two kits, their eyes gloomy with despair. "Come now, don't look like that. In the meantime, you can listen to the Elders speak of stories of the past. Ones of brave, noble warriors and fierce enemies that once roamed this very land."

The two kits eyes opened wide with awe, but their moment of intrigue vanished as they overheard Moonshine speaking to Emptystar. "Emptystar, I'm afraid I can no longer care for the kits. My milk has dried up, and I'm not sure their ready to be weaned off a mother cat's milk yet."

A quiver of worry and exhaustion could be heard rumbling out of Emptystar's gentle mouth. "I know. I'm sure they'll be fine. They've been here about a moon, we just need to keep a close eye on them." Emptystar walked away to her den beneath High Rock as thick greenery hung down in a warm, relaxed manner, rapping its thin tendrils around Emptystar's thin frame as she disappeared out of sight. Her soft voice was barely audible from the kits' distance, but they managed to hear Emptystar's final words. "And in the meantime, I want you to continue to watch over them and teach them."

"Yes, Emptystar" was the kits' adopted mother's response. They watched as Moonshine padded over to them and licked the tops of their heads gently. "Come little ones. It is time you get some sleep." She guided the kits to the Nursery which felt oddly empty without Quiverpaw around for them to huddle next to. They settled down next to Moonshine's warm stomach, their breathing gradually slowing to a subtle purr as Moonshine cleaned them with her gentle, rasping tongue.


	4. Forgotten Realities

Four moons had passed, and Quiverpaw had gone to some sort of meeting the other night during the full moon. He talked about how it was some sort of peace between the clans to exchange news. He also spoke of some of the things he had heard at the meeting. None of it was really that interesting. It was just new kits mostly and some new apprentices and a couple of new warriors.

NewLeaf was warm against Timberkit's pelt as he purred happily and lazily in the pale, fiery sunlight. He opened one sleepy, rainy green eye as he listened to Quiverkit continue on about the meeting. But Timberkit was day dreaming about other things. His mind whirled on the many stories the Elders had told him, and he was always eager to hear more. One story he thought was most interesting was the one about a group of cats that smelled of their prey, allowing them to eat till their stomachs were filled all year round, even in the furious, bitter moons of LeafBare. Something about these stories were familiar, and reminded him of his mother, but he didn't really know why.

Stormkit's voice popped into his thoughts, causing the gears in his head to shriek to a sudden halt. "Timberkit, are you all right?" Her sky colored eyes glimmering with worry as a river of caution and curiosity swirled in circles in her sparkling eyes. Timberkit looked at her with wide, stormy eyes for a moment, trying to decide how to put his thoughts into verbal words.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about our mother." His deep, knowing eyes stared towards the ground, the fresh grass gentle beneath his paws.

Stormkit looked quizzically at her brother. "You mean Moonshine? Why would you be thinking about her?" Timberkit looked up at her, hints of stormy sorrow revealing his inner feelings and thoughts. Stormkit's eyes widened in horror and she looked away as her eyes began to water. She tried to hide her fear from Quiverpaw, but was unsuccessful.

"Wait, you mean your birth mother?" Timberkit nodded. He got up and went over to the Elders Den to get away from all the depression hanging in the air, choking him with its stubborn reality. He cleared his throat before entering the Elders Den, and asked for Beetlepelt, who still had a fur coat that still glimmered with a shiny brown and flecks of silver, to tell him another story about the past. He listened intently as Beetlepelt's beetle green eyes shimmered with a hidden youth and admiration towards Timberkit.

It felt like it hadn't been very long at all when Moonshine had walked in, smiling at young Timberkit. "Thank you for watching him again Beetlepelt. I hope he wasn't too much of a handful."

Beetlepelt answered in a raspy but pleased voice. "It's no trouble at all. The little kit is always welcome here. I enjoy telling him the legends of our past." He gave a brief nod toward Timberkit who stayed sitting until Moonshine began to leave the den with a satisfied purr.

Before the young male kit left, he bowed his head with respect towards Beetlepelt, giving a quick thanks to the Elder who gratefully nodded back at him. Timberkit then left, his mind satisfied with the legends of past cats and struggles between all the Clans. He curled up next to his sister and Moonshine, their gentle breathing lulling him into his own cradling slumber that was filled with jagged dreams of his mother and her warm, mouse like scent filling his nose.


	5. Endearing Grief

The next day Timberkit awoke early, the sun's warm, orange glow not yet peeking over the trees as the dark twilight was stubbornly consuming the sky. Timberkit left the Nursery to sit out in the clearing of the camp as the twilight cradled the night's cool breeze. After last night, the world suddenly felt empty and hopeless. Granted he still had his sister and Quiverpaw, but he felt like his heart was continuously shuddering with grief.

One of Timberkit's ears swiveled to hear a cat approach him. The loving scent of his sister filled his nostrils, giving off a honey like taste in his mouth. His heart pounded with affection towards his sister, the forbidden hopelessness easing as the welcomed hope and strength entered.

Stormkit padded up beside him and sat down, their pelts touching as their kitten fluff began to grow smooth like Quiverpaw's had. Timberkit noticed Stormkit's pelt shimmered in the dim light, almost reflecting off the warm green the surroundings gave off. But the fiery, warm ginger stripes that spotted his sister were another thing. They shined like the sun on a crisp greenleaf day, her eyes cloudless and honest. A smile crossed his muzzle as he looked back towards the rising sun, the new dawn's light chasing off the darkness and promising a warm and pleasant day.

"You doing okay?" Timberkit looked towards his sister. She had a glint of worry in her eyes, but Timberkit only nodded in response to her probing of his thoughts. "You sure? You've been quieter recently. You don't want to play as much and you're always going to the Elders Den to listen to Beetlepelt tell tall tales on things that probably never happened."

Anger flared in the cool green eyes of Timberkit. "They aren't tall tales! Their real!" His lips drew up in a snarl, his new teeth pointed and sharp, made for killing swiftly. His eyes glared at his sister as if they were jabbing her with large, sharp claws. She looked at him in shock, her eyes widened with a hint of fear. That only made him angrier.

"You're scared of me, aren't you!" It wasn't a question. He felt his blood boil and his throat tighten with rage. Hatred made his ears flatten against his head and his tail twitch back and forth. His dark brown face was scrunched up with anger, the anger of a full grown cat. His pale brown pelt bristled, the thick fur around his neck fluffing outwards to create what looked like a lion's mane. It made him look like a full grown warrior, ready to kill anything that he deemed a threat to his Clan and Clan Mates.

"What! Of course not!" Anger was beginning to invade Stormkit's voice now. She took in a deep breath to calm herself. "I'm just worried about you. You're not yourself." Even though truth was seeping from his sister's words, he turned around and padded off to the Elders Den where Beetlepelt was now lying outside in the fresh rays of the morning sun that danced across the grass. His expression had changed to a more appealing one, filled with excitement and curiosity for the past that his sister saw as false.

Stormkit looked on with sadness, her ears drooped towards the sides of her head and her eyes betraying her inner emotions. Timberkit had always been the better of the two at hiding his emotions, but what had just happened was on purpose. Timberkit wanted his sister to see that little bit of anger. That little bit of hatred. Usually he would lie with the adorable kitten grin of his and his innocent, curious eyes. But Stormkit knew better. She knew a fierce and troubled cat lay hidden in the depths of an ocean of lies. She knew a cat was wandering aimlessly in a forest, unsure of which way to walk and which way danger lied in wait.

She knew a dangerous warrior lay beneath her brother's pelt, ready to pounce with hatred burning under his skin and oozing from his anxiety ridden eyes.

She turned to leave, but accidentally bumped into a large male warrior who scowled at her. "Watch where you're going!" He snarled at the little kit who backed off, tail low to the ground and eyes wide with fear.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. . ." Her voice dropped off after quieting, causing the warrior to look at her with suspicion.

"What's your problem?" Stormkit looked up at the tom with confused blue eyes that gave off the sensation of an incoming storm that couldn't be seen.

"Nothing, sir." He chuckled at her answer, clearly not believing this obvious lie.

"Let me guess. It's your brother, Timberkit, right?" The young kit nodded her head solemnly, looking towards the soft grass that tickled her paws, laughing at her weakness. Her eyes began to water, but she shut her eyes to keep the tears held back. The sharp thorns that jabbed at her heart betrayed her more, stabbing into her emotions and causing the acidic tears to roll over her smooth pelt.

"Ah, kid. What's wrong?" The warrior pulled the young cat close to him, curling his long, fluffy tail around her comfortingly, his bright orange eyes soft and understanding as she talked about her brother. "Listen, you two had a rough beginning in life. You can't expect him to be perfectly fine. You probably just have to give him some space.

"You think so?" She looked up at the cat, his black pelt soft and comforting. They didn't say anything else until the sun began to set. The cat stood up and, before padding off, he turned his head to give StormKit a kind smile. "By the way, the name's Sweetcoat."

"Stormkit's jaw dropped in surprise. "You're the one who found us that night! Me and my brothers!" He nodded and walked off to join a couple of other warriors for a patrol near the ShadowClan boundaries, the same place where the four half dead kits lied during a harsh leaf-bare storm.

Stormkit smiled as she watched Sweetcoat walk off, surprised that the first impression she actually got of him was a gruff, grumpy tom cat. But, he instead ended up being a kind and concerned cat that had actually been worried about her, once she got to know him. Just like that night when he heard three little kits mewl into the nothingness, thinking no one would hear them.


End file.
